harthan



J. HARTMAN, Jn

Car SeatV and Couchx Patented Sept. 7'. 1858.

XL PETERS. PNOTnvUTbIOGiAPMER. WASHINGYON. D C.

UNITED STATES PAfrENr ernten,

JN0.` HARTMAN, JR., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,- ASSIGXOR TO JNO. HARTMAN,

' SR., `OF SAME PLAGE.

COUCH-SEAT FOR RAILROAD-CARS.

To` all whom it fmaywconcern:

Be itknown that I, JOHN HARTMAN, Jri, j

of the city of Philadelphia,in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented 1a new and useful Improvement in Couch-Seats for' Railroad-Cars; and I do hereby declare that the following is -a full, clear, and exact description. of the const-ructionand operation of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figures `l and' 2 are perspective views of the said couch-seat as 1t appears previously port frame. The pedestal (A) is bored so as to 'receiver a stem, f, which is jointed to the middle rib, g, on the under sideof the seat (B), so as to allow the latter, -with its appendages attached, to be tilted backwardly and forwardly as occasion may require, and at the same time permit it to be swiveled around upon the pedestal (A) so as to be adjustable to the running direction of the car. The seat. (B) is maintained firmly in the horizontal position, shown in Fig. l, by means of the foot-support frame (E) and a diagonal brace 7L. The foot-support frame (E) is constructed substantially as shown in the drawings (Figs. l and 2), and is hinged to the front rib, z', of the seat (B) so as to be adjusted at pleasure, either to the position in which it is shown in Fig. l for the purpose of affording a steadying supportto the seat (B) when the same is used as a seat; or, to be extended in the inclined position shown in Fig. 2 when the same is used forI producing a couch. The diagonal brace (h) has its upper end jointed to the back ribs, 7c 7c, of the seat (B), and its lower end to a band, Z, which is adjusted in a groove, made around in the stem of the pedestal (A), so as to be carried around therein by means of the diagonal piece (h) when the latter itself is carried around in swiveling the` seat Around `the stem (f) an elastic collar or cushion, m, isfixed so as to come in contact-with and between vthe shoulder of the stem (f) and the upper end of the pedestal (A), whentheL seat (B) and footrest frame (E) are placed in the inclined positions shown in Fig; 2. The ,back (C) is also jointedto the back ribs (7a, Je) of the said seat, so that it canbe placed in a vertical position, or inclined baclrwardly so as to come'nearly in the same plane with the inclined: seat, `as shown'in Fig. The back part of the seat (B) `is slotted, at nfsoas `to receive the part, 0, 1of the-back (C), whichfpart (o) is? also slottedl so yas t-o'receive the upper end-ofthe v.diagonal piece (h), -thatthe one transverse vpin (22) may serveasa: fulcrumfor both.

L On V,each side ofthe seat (B) an upright side frame, Q., is-fiXed," which has a longslot `7",.1nade lengthwise through its horizontal `part, s, the lower boundary ofwhich slot `is serrated,as shown ata-, in Figall. Theseframes (gf-g) Vand the back (C) are connected together by means of the arms (D-D )1, which are each pivoted to the sides of the back, atrit respectively, and also to 4the upper end ofthe short uprightpiece (u) which has, fired firmly to it, al block, fv, which is adapted either to slide over, or lcatch againstl the notches which form the lower boundary of the said slot (1^), in each frame (Q-q), securely.

The whole skeleton of this couch-seat is made of iron, and the upper side of the seat proper (B), the inner side of t-he back (C), and the upper sides of the two arms (D-D),with the open space (fw) of the footrest frame (E), are to be cushioned or upholstered in any suitable manner, having in View the comfort of the occupant; and is fastened down to the fioor of the car, in pairs as usual, allowing room for each to be swiveled around when it is in the posi tion of a seat with the back vertical, or as shown in Fig. l; and the pairs, sufficiently far apart to admit of their extension into couches, as shown in Fig. 2.

Operation: The horizontal position of the seat is firmly maintained by its resting upon the foot-rest frame (E) and the diagonal brace (h), when the said rest is caused to take the position shown in Fig. 1-which is effected by raising the front of the seat (B) suiciently to allow the foot-rest frame (E) to swing under it, and then allowing the said seat-turning upon the joint (g) and sliding by the stem (f) in the pedestal-to settle down upon it. The inclination of the back (C) is then adjusted to suit the desire of the occupant of the seat by his taking hold of the pieces (fa-u) and turning them in a forward direction sufciently to cause their blocks (o o) to pass over a suiiicient number of the notches (-w), allowing the" back (C) to fall backwardly to the inclination he requires, before letting go of thevsaid pieces (fa-u), which act allows the blocks to catch in the proper notches, and so sustain the back firmly in the position required; thus producing a seat open or ventilating at the sides, and as comfortable otherwise as can be desired. The couch form, shown in Fig. 2, is produced by raising the front of the seat (B) in the manner before described, and with the other hand, turning up the foot-rest and allowing the seat `(B) to settle down until it is arrested bythe elastic collar coming Vin contact wit-h the upper end of the pedestal (A), and the brace (/L.) beingunchangeable in length, the seat (B) lnecessarily becomes inclined forward; and the foot-rest frame being let go, its

Y rcushioned surface comes into the same plane with that of the seat (B) and helps to maintain the latter in a iirm and steady position.

The back (C) is now adjusted to the incli-4 nation suitable for a couch, in precisely the same manner of operation before describedthus producing a couch sufficiently reclined to enableV the occupant, with his feet against the foot board of the vrest (E), to repose, or

cars will permit.

Iam aware that car-seats have been made sleep as comfortably as the motion of the before so as to be isolated from eachother, and to swivel around upon their bases; I am also aware that the back has been made adn justable to -various angles of inclination to a horizontally fixed seat; and also that an office couch-chair has been made with a foot- `rest and back so connected together and to a iiXed horizontal seat, as to move i'n unison to any required angle of inclination to the said horizontally iiXed seat, by the occupant simplyv changing his position thereon; but neither of these has been constructed in such a manner as that the seat proper can be inclined into the same plane with an inclined foot-rest frame so as to adapt them as couches to the requirementsV of a railroad car as herein described: I therefore do not Aconsisting of the pedestal (A), seat (B),

stem (f), 'brace (71.), `and foot-rest frame (E`),or their equivalents combined and arranged so as to operate substantially in the manner described.

JNO. HARTMAN, JR.

Witnesses BENJ. MORRISON, M. Swir'r. 

